Dear GW Engineering Community,
Welcome to the 2023-2024 academic year! To our new students, faculty, and staff, we are excited to have you join the GW Engineering community. To our returning students, we are so glad to see you back on campus.
It was not that long ago that we officially closed out the 2022-2023 academic year on a high note, when we announced GW’s new co-led $20 million trustworthy AI institute – TRAILS, recognized our recipients of GW faculty honors, and celebrated the accomplishments of another amazing graduating class of engineers and computer scientists.
This summer, we announced several new partnerships, initiatives, and accomplishments that illustrate how GW continues to be a leader amongst higher education institutions and how GW Engineering is playing a growing role in that stature.
In June, GW was invited to join the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), which recognizes GW’s leading research, education, and innovation. The AAU is the club of the most prestigious research universities in North America, as evidenced by the current membership list. As you will see, GW is the only DC-based university in the AAU.
GW Engineering announced a new $30 million partnership between GW and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) that gives GW students and faculty access to a federal program for STEM worker cultivation through its participation in NIST's Professional Research Experience Program (PREP). The program partners with universities to provide lab experience and financial support to undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral candidates, and faculty, as well as further the United States’ STEM workforce.
GW was awarded a two-year grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to establish an Open-Source Program Office (OSPO). The OSPO will coordinate and support open-source software development across GW, helping researchers embrace open-source tools and practices. The OSPO’s plans include training programs, infrastructure and tools for open-source development, events fostering community and collaboration, and partnerships with industry and government.
These are but a few examples of how GW Engineering’s research, educational programs, and partnerships are creating knowledge, solutions, innovations, policies, and leaders to address society’s grand challenges of the mid-21st century – and how we are being increasingly recognized for doing so.
Additionally, over the last two months, we focused on preparing to welcome new undergraduate and graduate students. Thanks to our dedicated community of faculty and staff, we’ve made great strides in improving and enhancing our instructional strategies, curricula, and support services to ensure our students receive a robust learning experience and are positioned for success.
When asked what piece of advice I would give to incoming GW Engineering students, my answer is to meet new people, explore your interests, and be open to new ideas and perspectives. But this is really advice for all of us, throughout our entire lives.
So I encourage everyone – myself included – to make the most of the fall semester, whether exploring new academic programs and courses, connecting with others over a shared interest, participating in research and innovation on a topic of importance to you, volunteering your time and expertise in an area of need, joining a student organization or simply attending a GW Engineering event to share community and learn from one another. GW offers plenty of opportunities to do so, and there is no time like the present.
Raise High, Revolutionaries!
John Lach, Dean
GW Engineering